Henna vs Cassia for thickening hair strands

[hairhair]

Hi everyone!

I was reading on another thread that both henna and cassia can thicken hair strands. I don't want the drastic colour change of henna so I was wondering how effective cassia is in increasing apparent thickness, as I've heard the colour change is less dramatic.

Thanks! :)

[rock007junkie]

Cassia is pretty effective. The only difference is that you'd have to apply it more often than henna. Henna's effects are permanent whereas cassia's are more temporary. I would definitely reccomend cassia if you are not looking for a color change. You'll see and feel the difference from the first application

[biogirl87]

Rock007junkie, what are some good places one could get cassia at? In the past few months both my mom and I have noticed my hair being not as thick as before but I don't want to damage my hair as I try to thicken it, so that's why I'm asking.

[hairhair]

Thanks rock007junkie! How often do you have to apply cassia to maintain the thickening effect? I used to use conditioning/colour rinses for the same purpose but find that they react weirdly with my silicone free conditioner.

[rock007junkie]

Depends on how often you think you need it. You could do it once or twice a month. For the first couple of applications I would do it twice a month so it builds up easier.

[Sigrida]

For me cassia lasts only 1-2 washes, but the results are awesome, so I use cassia quite often. (I actually used it yesterday and I am SO happy with my hair right now :) ) Good luck!

[OrganicJewel]

another cassia lover. I've just started using it because I don't want any colour change (I have 3-6 inches of natural colour that I'm growing out, and the rest is pink), but I wanted the strengthening/conditioning benefits. My hair feels a lot softer after I use it, and I'm hoping it helps to strengthen my bleached ends, so far so good.

[kitekats]

Didn't see any positive difference in increasing thickness nor with henna, nor cassia, it only made hair feel even thinner a bit (because of the smoothness that both give). I prefer without them, but I like henna because of the awesome color:p

[rock007junkie]

Rock007junkie, what are some good places one could get cassia at? In the past few months both my mom and I have noticed my hair being not as thick as before but I don't want to damage my hair as I try to thicken it, so that's why I'm asking.

Somehow I missed this post. Some good places are

-http://www.butters-n-bars.com
-http://www.hennasooq.com

You can get it from mehandi as well but it's more expensive.

[lilliemer]

cassia made my hair really dry. i still have a big bag of it from the henna sooq (mixed with a bunch of other herbs, bhringraj, etc. in their sukesh ayurveda mix). It was supposed to be moisturizing? Any one with ideas as to how to combat the dryness? First time I used it, I mixed it into an SMT thinking it would be extra moisturizing...It took 2 weeks to get my hair back to its normal level of still-quite-dryness.

[rock007junkie]

cassia made my hair really dry. i still have a big bag of it from the henna sooq (mixed with a bunch of other herbs, bhringraj, etc. in their sukesh ayurveda mix). It was supposed to be moisturizing? Any one with ideas as to how to combat the dryness? First time I used it, I mixed it into an SMT thinking it would be extra moisturizing...It took 2 weeks to get my hair back to its normal level of still-quite-dryness.

The vendors usually warn buyers about the issue with dryness and recommend some add-ons for it. Cassia and Henna are supposed to be more for strengthening in my opinion, that's why I always follow with a moisturizing treatment. Lately though I've experimented adding oils (olive,avocado or sweet almond) to my cassia or henna. Afterwards I can get away with just using a rinse out conditioner and hair feels great.

[Lissandria]

^^ Another thing that helps combat dryness post cassia is rinsing really, really well. Like for 10 minutes or more. I always do a good conditioning for 5 minutes or so but not always a DT. Rinsing makes all the difference because the residue is the worst for dryness. But I wholeheartedly agree Cassia is more of a strengthening/protein type conditioning than a nourishing/moisturising conditioning.

[lilliemer]

The vendors usually warn buyers about the issue with dryness and recommend some add-ons for it. Cassia and Henna are supposed to be more for strengthening in my opinion, that's why I always follow with a moisturizing treatment. Lately though I've experimented adding oils (olive,avocado or sweet almond) to my cassia or henna. Afterwards I can get away with just using a rinse out conditioner and hair feels great.
Thanks for the suggestion. I think the HS people recommended adding yogurt but i was worried it would be too much protein. How much oil do you add to the herb mix? I would like to be able to use this stuff up as 1) it wasn't that cheap and 2) it did seem to thicken my hair despite drying it out a lot.

[vanillabones]

What are the odds it could thicken my hair? My hair is extremely fine and thin. I hate scalp cleavage and any shed hairs make me cringe. The crown is not full at all on my head. I hate it. I wear buns a lot could it be from setting my hair in a bun on the back of my head all of the time? Should I try braiding? I don't want to try cassia and end up with over protein filled dry hair like some say, or just glossy etc. And I thought cassia could still tinge your hair or brighten it a bit is that true because I don't want anything like that!

[LadyKate]

It certainly sounds like the benefits would be worth experimenting with... however, my hair is pretty light blonde naturally, and I'm not interested in changing the color at all. It's taken me a long time to get my hair back to my natural color, and I want to keep it that way. Also, I thought I heard somewhere that henna will make your hair less curly... does cassia have that affect as well? Or is that just not true at all?

[Majala]

A few days ago I tried methi/fenugreek. I was really surprised as I got the same effect I get with henna - thicker and very shiny hair. I'm not sure how long it lasts though, it was the first time using it and haven't washed my hair since then yet.
It gives no color, but it has curry like smell.

[rock007junkie]

Thanks for the suggestion. I think the HS people recommended adding yogurt but i was worried it would be too much protein. How much oil do you add to the herb mix? I would like to be able to use this stuff up as 1) it wasn't that cheap and 2) it did seem to thicken my hair despite drying it out a lot.

I usually add about 2 spoons of olive oil and a spoon of honey. It comes out incredibly soft and shiny!